Allah Taãla says in the Noble Qurãn, 'You are the best of nations sent to man. You command good and forbid evil and you believe in Allah'. (Aali Imraan).
Allah Taãla states that one reason for this Ummah being titled as the best of Ummah, is the practice of commanding good and preventing evil'.
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Saturday, April 20, 2013

War is only permissible in self-defense, and under well-defined limits.
When undertaken, it must be pushed with vigour, but not relentlessly. But only to restore Peace, Justice and Freedom for the worship of God. In any case, strict limits must not be transgressed: Women, Children, Old and infirm men should not be molested; nor Trees and Crops cut down, nor Peace withheld when the enemy comes to term.

At the time of fighting between Muslims and non-Muslims, Abu Bakr, the
first Caliph after the Prophet, would advise his commanders saying:

“I command you ten things. Learn them by heart: Don’t betray, defraud
(by stealing the spoils of war), or break treaties. Don’t mutilate, kill
women, young children, or the elderly. Do not uproot or burn palm
trees. Do not cut down fruitful trees, slaughter sheep, cows or camels
except for eating. You will come across people secluded in monasteries,
so leave them and what they are devoted to.” (Tabari, Vol.3)

The following facts of prominent battles took place at the time Prophet Muhammad (sal) say everything. See the numbers,

Battle of Badr, Muslims - 314 fighters led by Prophet Muhammad (sal)
They had only 2 horses and 70 camels to ride. Most of them did not even
possess simple weapons to fight; some had swords but no bows and
arrows, while others possessed spears but no swords.

Almost all the battles gave the Muslims massive victories. It was not
the Military power which gave the Muslims huge victories. It's the
strong faith, steadfastness, obedience to Allah and his Messenger (sal)
of the Muslims ! There are many lessons can be learnt from this,

1. Numbers do not count. But faith, Determination, Steadfastness and Blessings of Allah. 2. Size and Strength are of no avail against truth. but Courage and Careful Planning. 3. If Allah is with us, the enemy's weapons may become an instrument of their own destruction. 4. Personality conquers all dangers, and puts heart into our own wavering friends. 5. Pure faith brings Allah's reward, which may take many forms like Wisdom, Power, Strength and other gifts.

------ Prisoners of War ------ The Prophet instructed that Prisoners of War should be treated as if they were family members. He favored freedom after restitution. Those who could not pay monetary restitution were asked to teach ten individuals to read and write.
According to Cherif Bassiouni of DePaul University (Chicago, IL) this
is the first time in recorded history that POWs were treated humanely as
a policy.